Shubman Gill: The Calm Run Machine Redefining Indian Cricket - Better Captain Or Better Batter?
There is something quietly magnetic about Shubman Gill. He doesn't roar after milestones, doesn't glare down opponents, doesn't feed off noise - yet, in just five years, he has become the pulse of India's batting and the quiet commander of its new generation
- Shubman Gill has scored 19 international centuries in five years of cricket
- Gill has led India to five wins in seven Tests as captain with a strong record
- He scored his fifth Test century as captain at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi
There is something quietly magnetic about Shubman Gill. He doesn't roar after milestones, doesn't glare down opponents, doesn't feed off noise - yet, in just five years, he has become the pulse of India's batting and the quiet commander of its new generation. At 26, Gill's rise has been steep, almost cinematic, but his composure remains his signature. Fame, captaincy, pressure - he's taken it all in stride. As India's new red-ball captain, he carries not just the burden of results but the weight of transition - from an era defined by Virat Kohli's intensity to one built on quiet control.
A Run Machine in His Prime
In Delhi, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Gill brought up his 10th Test century - a crisp, controlled innings that extended his tally to 19 international centuries (10 in Tests, 8 in ODIs, and 1 in T20Is). Those numbers would be staggering for any established player. For someone just five years into his international career, they're extraordinary. It's also his fifth century of 2025, making him the leading run-scorer across formats this calendar year. What's remarkable is not just the quantity, but the manner - the balance, the timing, the maturity beyond his years. He's not flamboyant, yet his dominance feels inevitable.
Captain Cool - Gill's Quiet Command
The evolution from promising opener to captain was always on the cards, but few expected the transition to be this seamless. In seven Tests as captain, Gill has already led India to five victories, maintaining a winning streak that has caught attention across the cricketing world. He's been calm but commanding, tactical but unflustered. On India's England tour earlier this year, his leadership and batting drew rare consensus from critics - a player fully in control of his game and his team.
His demeanor - low-key but decisive - has reminded many of Rohit Sharma's calmness, though Gill's style carries a different rhythm: less banter, more intent, more quiet belief.
Between Kohli's Legacy and Gill's Era
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, even as chants of "Kohli! Kohli!" echoed around the stands, fresh voices joined in - "Gill! Gill!" and "Bumrah! Bumrah!" The symbolism was hard to miss.
This is the bridge generation of Indian cricket - where fans still celebrate the icons of the last decade but are slowly embracing the faces of the next.Gill has made it easier to believe in that future. His approach may not mirror Kohli's aggression, but his numbers do. And in Delhi, his fifth Test century as captain placed him in the company of the greats - Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.
In Elite Company
Here's the perspective that defines the scale of his achievement:
Sunil Gavaskar took 10 innings to score five centuries as captain.
Shubman Gill needed 12.
Virat Kohli, 18.
In terms of sheer volume, Gill's 933 runs in 12 innings as captain put him on par with Gavaskar and just behind Sir Don Bradman's 1023. To be mentioned in the same breath as those names, this early, is not mere form - it's a signal of something larger in motion.
The Gambhir Factor - Faith and Fire
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has seen enough of the game to spot the difference between promise and poise. His words about Gill reveal both admiration and expectation. "I want to see how he reacts when things don't go his way," Gambhir said. "Until he fixes everything, I'm ready to bear all the criticism for him."
It's a rare kind of mentorship - one built on trust and accountability. Gambhir's statement isn't just about support; it's about belief in character. Every great captain eventually faces turbulence. What will matter is how Gill navigates it.
The Real Test Ahead
Right now, Gill's graph only points upward. His numbers are pristine, his leadership unbeaten, his confidence untouched. But cricket, like life, is cyclical. A lean patch will come - it always does.
And when it does, as Winston Churchill once said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." That courage - to persist, to adapt, to stay calm in chaos - may yet define Shubman Gill more than any hundred or trophy.
For now, he stands where every generational cricketer once stood - at the intersection of talent and time.
The calm run machine has arrived. And if early signs are any indication, he's here to stay - as both India's most consistent batter and its most composed leader.
India Cricket Team